The Warmest Night
by Mable
Summary: 4 decides to comfort 8 while he's keeping guard out in the cold and discovers that even on the coldest night there can still be warmth. 4x8, Oneshot, Request fic.


**Mable: Hey, everyone! This is a 4x8 request fic for claimtheshadows; It's a bit overdue, as are the others, and I'm sorry it took so long. I still hope that you enjoy! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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 _ **The Warmest Night**_

It was a cold night. Snow was coming down in large flakes and clumps that blanketed the ground in a sheet of white. It was still just as beautiful as it would be during the daylight, but definitely colder than it had been during the day, and coming down even stronger. The wind had also started to pick up and blew across the chilled ground. It was like ice specks against fabric and Eight was uncomfortably feeling it. He lightly rubbed at his arms in an attempt to regain some body heat, but no such luck was achieved. It was just too cold to stay warm.

The only reason Eight had to sit out here and stand guard was because Seven, Nine, and Five hadn't made it home yet. Most likely they had stopped somewhere for the night, but it was still Eight's job to wait outside and see if they would appear before he eventually headed to bed. He always did this and it wasn't an unexpected thing. The others knew that he was out here. He massaged his hands together and blew into them, hoping to return feeling to them. He had set his knife down long ago after the handle had grown cold.

It was around this time that he heard soft footsteps from behind. He peered back to see that one of the twins was approaching, carrying a folded blanket with a smile. He knew without seeing her number that it was Four and though his discomfort he smiled back. "Hey, what're you doing out here? It's too cold for any sane Stitchpunk." He remarked to her and she giggled silently, her optics flickering in delight. Quickly she opened the blanket in her grasp, it hanging all the way to the stone ground beneath her feet.

Carefully she wrapped it around Eight's shoulders and back. She tenderly tucked it in around him, affectionately petting over his shoulders and arms, making sure it was tucked tightly to his chest. It was a nice gesture and already he felt a little extra warmth starting to settle in. "Thanks. It's freezing out here." He remarked and Four playfully flickered her optics again, signing out what Eight guessed was, _"Literally it is."_ Four and Three had only recently started to sign and frequently didn't do it often, so it had only recently became important for Eight to learn.

That wasn't to say that he wasn't learning. He had managed to grasp the hand movements quickly enough, but wasn't quick enough to translate Four's speedy signing when she signed in long intervals. Though it made him feel better that the others were also struggling a little. At least he usually could understand Four without the signing, going on hand motions and facial expressions instead. He preferred staring at her face during communications anyway. "What about you? You're going to get chilled out here."

Four gestured to her hood and to a small wool scarf she was wearing around her neck. He softly quipped with a, "That's not enough." Suddenly he got a burst of energy, considering that the cold was sapping it away, and scooped her into his arms and into his lap. Four's cheeks alit in a green glow and her optics flickered playfully as she was coddled to his strong chest. She ran her hands over his buckles affectionately before reaching upwards and pulling the blanket further around them.

Now in a cozy bundle together the two were content for a short while. Four nuzzled into Eight while he rested his head on top of her hood. It was certainly much warmer in this state, but eventually Four started to draw back. Eight watched her in confusion as she stood to her feet and began to wander out into the snow a bit. She curiously looked at the falling clumps, surprised that instead of single flakes it was something so much more heavy. She caught one of the clumps in her hands.

For a second she massaged the puff of ice which separated and dissolved in her warm hands. While she curiously studied it, Eight stood and began to step down the steps and into the snowy courtyard. His footing didn't feel as steady and crunching echoed underneath his feet. Four straightened and turned towards him with a smile, dusting the snow from her hands. He chuckled and took them in his own. Soon he began to blow over and massage them, trying to warm them like he had warmed his own.

Again she was blushing and pulled back one of her hands to rest on her cheek shyly. "Let's head inside. It's getting late, if the others were coming back they would be back by now." Four nodded in agreement and started to head back. She held his hand affectionately and he began to remove his blanket to give to her. She stopped him from taking it fully off and insistently flipped it back over his shoulder. Now Eight obeyed and they continued back to the steps to grab his knife. They continued inside the Library, kicking the snow off of their feet and ankles.

Thankfully the cauldron from the Cathedral had survived the fire and was now being kept inside the Library. Four rubbed her arms and began to shiver, the cold finally catching with her, and Eight lit a warm fire inside. He then crossed over to the twin and started to pull the blanket off. Affectionately he tossed it around her shoulders and watched in amusement as it draped over her much further than it had him. She was almost warmed by his chuckle and smiled sheepishly as she was easily lifted into his grasp.

He carried her to a short stack of books nearby that were usually used as seats when the cauldron was in use. Their actual use was for cooking and recipes long ago, but nowadays it was not needed and in a way was not accomplishable with the lack of proper ingredients. The twins still insisted on keeping them here though, just in case they did manage to find something that they could cook, and currently they made excellent seats. Eight settled down with Four once again curled in his lap.

She played with his top buckle affectionately and relaxed into his strong arms, letting herself get warm without a care in the world. Eight, however, suddenly found him contemplating something. It was just a thought, but it was a thought he had before and hadn't ever gained the courage to ask. Tonight had become so special in such a short amount of time though that he was considering it once again. He waited a little longer, going over the wording in his head a few times, and then checked to make sure Four hadn't fallen asleep on him.

It wouldn't be the first time that the Librarian had nodded off in his arms. She looked upwards at him sweetly and he felt the quickening pulse in his chest. "Four… I was thinking about something. I've been thinking about it for a while and I wanted to put it past you." The female sat upwards and looked to him attentively, clearly showing that he was listening. "You know how different we are. I know, you know, we're pretty different Stitchpunks, but we get along pretty well." She nodded eagerly in agreement with him.

"Well… I was thinking… Why don't we try being together? We're already sort of together, but be more… Official?" He offered. This was all very new to him. All he knew about courting was through One and he wasn't sure if One's rustic ideas of romance would work well on Four. It worked well enough on Two, but Eight wasn't too certain. Either way Four just stared for a few second in surprise, her mouth softly slipped open in alarm. Almost immediately the larger male added in, "If you're not feeling it we can just stay like this. There's nothing wrong with staying like this."

The librarian twin immediately shook her head and eagerly smiled, clasping her hands together in delight. She then began to nod eagerly and gave him a tight hug around the neck, showing her delight at the idea. She then kissed him on the cheek and Eight's face nearly went alight. A wash of relief passed over him and he hugged her tightly to his chest. "Hoping you'd say that…" He murmured against her before pulling back to pet her cheek. Four's smile got smaller, shyer, and her soft lips suddenly took all of his attention.

He leaned in slowly and pressed his lips against hers tenderly. They had kissed each other on the cheek or on the forehead, but this was the first time that they had met lips. Such different textures; rough, stripe branded lips meeting soft, silky ones. The kiss lasted only a few moments before they drew apart. Eight couldn't help but compare it to the magnet; leaving a fuzzy and warm sensation coursing through his body. Four blushed again tenderly and lowered downwards to rest against his chest.

She was too shy to face him directly any longer and instead nuzzled into his warmth. He gladly held her close and pet over her back, keeping them warm and cozy in the night. Four then suddenly straightened again. "What's wrong?" Eight offered and Four gave him a playful smile. She then took off the blanket around her shoulders and insistently reapplied it around Eight's, tucking it into his shoulder guards to make sure that it stayed there. Amusement filled the guard who held her close again, certain he could warm her well enough without the blanket.

It was a cold night, but between Four and Eight it was one of the warmest and coziest they ever had.

 _ **FIN**_

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 **Mable: It's also a bit shorter than my usual request fics, but I just… It felt better like this. ^-^ More comfortable and natural. Hopefully this means that I can get more of the requests done in a reasonable amount of time. I hope that everyone enjoyed!**


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